Trainees and Scholars
Demography and Economics of Aging Training Program (NIA T32) | Health Services Research Program (AHRQ T32) | Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellowship | MD-PhD Medicine, Social Sciences, & Humanities (MeSH) | Postdoctoral Program in Clinical Research, Biomedical Informatics, and Health Equity (TL1) | Short-Term Aging-Related Research Program (STAR)
CHeSS is proud to support over 30 trainees and scholars who are affiliated with the Center’s various training programs. Learn more about each of our trainees and scholars below.

Elizabeth Avent, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology
eavent@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Southern California- Los Angeles, CA; MA, Georgia State University- Atlanta, GA
Research Interests: Elder abuse, late-life intimate partner violence, caregiving, dementia and cognitive impairment, and adverse childhood experiences, relationship quality in later life

Claire Boone, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Booth School of Business
claireboone@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of California Berkeley, CA, MPH, University of California Berkeley, CA, BA&Sc, McGill University, Canada
Research Interests: Health economics, behavioral economics, clinical decision-making

Kevin Connolly, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Harris School of Public Policy
kevinconnolly@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Harvard University-Cambridge, Massachusetts; AM, Harvard University- Cambridge, Massachusetts; AB, Harvard University-Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Interests: Health Economics, Economics of Aging, Economics of Education

Melanie Nadon, MPA
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
mnadon@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, University of La Verne; MPA, University of Washington
Research Interests: Intersections of poverty, child welfare, and policy implementation

Tanya Rajan
Predoctoral Fellow, Economics
tanyar@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, Mathematical Economic Analysis, Rice University, Houston, TX
Research Interests: Labor economics, rural-to-urban migration, household health decisions

Rebecca Anna Schut, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Section of Hospital Medicine; Sociology
schutr@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Demography and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; MA, Demography, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; BA Health and Societies, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Interests: Medical sociology; Structural determinants of health; Population studies; Health services research; Racial stratification; Immigrant incorporation

Durrell Washington, MSW
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
dwashington5@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MSW Columbia University School of Social Work; BSW CUNY York College
Research Interests:The intersections of Abolition, Juvenile Incarceration, Black Families and Health over the Life Course

Angela Wyse, MPP
Predoctoral Fellow, Harris School of Public Policy
awyse@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA in Public Policy, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI; Master of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School – Cambridge, MA
Research Interests: Restricted survey microdata links to to administrative data from federal and state government agencies to learn about characteristics, material circumstances, mortality, migration patterns, and housing status transitions of the U.S. homeless population

Emily Claypool, AM
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
eclaypool@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): AM, University of Chicago; BA, University of Minnesota
Research Interests: Science and technology studies & medical anthropology to understand the nature of social scientific knowledge production and institutionalization in the interdisciplinary context of health and social service research and provision.

Abhijit Grewal, MHA
Predoctoral Fellow, Health Sciences Integrated PhD Program, Northwestern University
abhijit.grewal@northwestern.edu
Degree(s): MHA, Cornell University; BA, Wayne State
Research Interests: Healthcare quality, mental health, telehealth, AI/ML, health services, outcomes, disparities

Samantha Guz, LCSW
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
sguz@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MSSW, University of Texas at Austin- Austin, Texas; BSW, Texas A&M University- College Station, Texas
Research Interests: School-prison nexus; School-based services; Minoritized youth in schools; Critical feminist studies

Sae Han, MPH
Predoctoral Fellow, Health Sciences Integrated PhD Program, Northwestern University
saehan2025@u.northwestern.edu
Degree(s): JBS, Human Biology, Health, and Society, Cornell University; MPH, Columbia University
Research Interests: Intersection of public health informatics and health outcomes within the aging population.

Cashell Lewis, MSW
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice
cashell@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): Masters in Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, Brown School of Social Work.
Research Interests: Suicidal behavior among Black men, justice involved populations, health equity

Scott Loring, MA
Predoctoral Fellow, Harris School of Public Policy
sloring@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, Public Policy, University of Chicago; BA, Economics, University of Chicago
Research Interests: Medicaid expansion, health care access, competition, quality incentives

Allison Paulson, MPH
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
apaulson@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MPH, Epidemiology, University of Illinois at Chicago; MLA, University of Chicago; BA, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Research Interests: Access to health care; premature mortality; substance use disorders; mental health; federal and state substance use policies; primary care; health disparities; disability; Medicare; Medicaid; evidence-based practice

Lauren Peterson, AM
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
lapeterson@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): AM, Social Service Administration, University of Chicago; MPH, Health Policy and Management, Columbia University; BA, Public Policy, International Studies, University of North Carolina
Research Interests: Medicaid policy, access to health care and home and community based services (HCBS), disability policy, health equity, health politics, state health policy

Daniel Scott, MSW
Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
dcscott@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MSW, Michigan State University; BA, Aquinas College
Research Interests: Value-Based Care, Policy Implementation, Community Mental Health, Diagnostic Taxonomy, Ideology, Professions/Professionalization, Economic Anthropology, Semiotics

Yalun Su, M.Sc.
Predoctoral Fellow, Harris School of Public Policy
yalunsu@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): M.Sc., Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, London School of Economics
Research Interests: Public Economics, Health Economics, Disability Insurance, Healthcare Innovation

Kevin Chen
2023-24 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
kevin.chen@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BA, Rice University, Houston TX
Research Interests: Biomechanics, traumatic injuries, gunshot wounds, social determinants of health

Mohansrinivas Chennakesavalu
2022-23 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
mchenn2@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BS in Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago
Research Interests: Cancer genomics, epigenomics, bioinformatics, neuroblastoma

Thomas Cyberski
2022-23 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
cyberski@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests: Molecular landscapes of head and neck cancer, specifically of the oral cavity and larynx

Riley Driscoll
2023-24 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
rdriscoll7@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BS, Molecular Biology, BYU – Provo, UT
Research Interests: Low- and high-grade astrocytoma pathobiology; Metastatic brain and spinal tumors; CNS malignancy and disease burden in the aging population; Glial senescence and senolytic therapy; Drug repurposing and clinical trials

Willa Li
2022-23 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
willa.li@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BA, Harvard University – Cambridge, MA
Research Interests: Endoleak post-TEVAR, TBAD, finite-element/computational fluid dynamics modeling of aortic disease

Sid Ramesh
2022-23 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
sramesh@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, Biology, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
Research Interests: Oncology, Diagnostics, Precision Medicine, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence

Courtney Amegashie
2021-22 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine
camegashie@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, Washington University in St. Louis
Research Interests: Preeclampsia, patient education, healthcare disparities

Afia Khan
afia@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Harris School of Public Policy
Research Interests: Health economics, antimicrobial resistance, social determinants of health and well-being

Joseph Krongold
jkrongold@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Public Health Sciences- Health Services Research
Research Interests: Quality measurement, end of life care

Maya Lozinski
mayalozinski@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Health Economics at the Harris School of Public Policy
Research Interests: Health economics, risk adjustment, machine learning

Mari Mackiewicz, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine, University of Chicago
marimack@uchicago.edu
Doctoral Degree: PhD, University of San Diego – San Diego, CA; MSN/CNS, University of San Diego – San Diego, CA
Research Interests: Oral health in underserved populations, problematic substance use in older adults

Jonathan Mannheim, MD
Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Chicago
Jonathan.Mannheim@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): MD, University of Illinois-Chicago – Chicago, IL; BA, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Research Interests: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in adolescents, and the interplay of infectious diseases and socioeconomics at large

David Pavkovich, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Section of Hospital Medicine, University of Chicago
pavkovich@bsd.uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, Indiana University; MD, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine; Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center: Residency in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics; University of California – San Francisco – HEAL Initiative Fellowship in Global and Underserved Health; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Ongoing via distance learning
Research Interests: Community Health Workers, Providing High-Quality Care in Resource Constrained Settings, Infectious Diseases

Zoë Post, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Rush University Medical Center
zoe_post@rush.edu
Doctoral Degree: MD, University of Groningen, the Netherlands; MS, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Research Interests: Circadian rhythm, inflammatory bowel disease

Danielle Thompson, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow and Resident, General Surgery, NorthShore University Health System
danielle.thompson@uchicagomedicine.org
Doctoral Degree: MD, Howard University College of Medicine, MSCP – University of Chicago (in progress)
Research Interests: Health disparities within breast cancer diagnosis/treatment, Timeliness of breast cancer screening/diagnosis/treatment, Social vulnerability and its impact on breast cancer screening/diagnosis/treatment

Christian Carrier
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
Chcarrier@uchicago.edu
Previous Degree: BA, Biology, Miami University
Research Interests: Hematologic Diseases, Healthcare Delivery and Quality Improvement

Miguel Gonzalez
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
miguelgonzalez@uchicago.edu
Previous Degree: BA, Duke University – Durham, North Carolina
Research Interests: Plastic and vascular surgery

Peter Hahn
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
peter.hahn@uchospitals.edu
Previous Degree: BA, University of Chicago, Chicago IL
Research Interests: Healthcare Delivery and Quality Improvement

Cristian Hernandez
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
crishernandez@uchicago.edu
Previous Degree: BS, Neuroscience – Yale University
Research Interests: Developmental Neuroscience, Aging/Dementia, and Social Determinants of Health

Ifeoma Ikedionwu
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
iikedionwu@uchicago.edu
Previous Degree: BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, Baylor University – Waco, TX
Research Interests:

Cooper Ruwe
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
cooper.ruwe@uchospitals.edu
Previous Degree: BS in Biology, University of Mississippi; BGS in General Studies, University of Mississippi – University, MS
Research Interests: Effects of early life exposures on aging; social determinants of health; sensory functioning

Jay Suh
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
jay.suh@uchospitals.edu
Previous Degree: BS, University of Cincinnati – Cincinnati, OH
Research Interests: Diabetic eye disease, retinal diseases

Tiffany Xie
Predoctoral Fellow, Medicine, University of Chicago
tiffany.xie@uchospitals.edu
Previous Degree: BS in Biology, BA in English – Indiana University
Research Interests: Social determinants of health, health equity, social epidemiology